Adam Driver explains Kylo Ren's new helmet in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Kylo Ren smashed his helmet in Star Wars: The Last Jedi after being taunted by Snoke as “a child in a mask.”

But in The Rise of Skywalker, the murderous First Order Supreme Leader has that same mask reforged with red lines where the pieces were welded back together.

So what’s the reason for the revised helmet?

Star Adam Driver explains to EW: “It’s another good example of [writers J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio] kind of leading what’s going on externally with the character with what is going on internally. That’s not a new detail — it’s been happening since The Force Awakens for that character. Even the first time we talked about putting on his suit, the suit was appropriately uncomfortable and that seemed like a really fun thing to play with — maybe he’s literally uncomfortable in his own skin. It’s restrictive in a way. And then he kind of goes through a rebirth over the second movie and starts to shed that a little bit and become who he is. He’s a very unformed person, which is exciting to play and to have that be represented physically in a costume piece, or a lighting choice or, in this case, a helmet. It’s a coming together, he’s cherry-picked things he’s looked at through his history and that he’s decided he wants to claim for who he is. So it’s a physical representation of how that character has grown.”

Driver reprises his Kylo Ren role in The Rise of Skywalker, opening Friday.

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